ON THE WEB: Taking the (Political) Fight Online

Published on March 19, 2007.

Since there are only 20 months left until the next federal election, the media blitz and deluge of political advertising will soon swoop down and engulf us all. But this time around, many are pointing to the YouTube-ification of political ads as the next frontier. This type of online activism will supposedly give voters a chance to contribute (or be an embarrassment) to a candidate's cause using a computer instead of a checkbook. The latest effort causing a stir is an anonymous video that remixes Apple's "1984" into an ostensible Barack Obama spot. In it, Hillary Clinton appears as Big Brother, droning on with familiar politico platitudes until the sledgehammer-wielding woman runs in to offer her two cents, culminating in the slogan "Vote Different." What's next? The Cavemen pitching for Clinton?